Montreal tenor saxophonist Joel Miller’s album, Find A Way, is a beautiful collection of mostly original tunes. Miller may be young, but with this remarkable debut he promises to become a familiar and beloved fixture on the Canadian jazz scene. He is joined by Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and flugelhorn, Christine Jensen on alto sax, Tilden Webb on piano, Éric St-Laurent on guitar, Brian Hurley on bass and Kevin Coady on drums. All do remarkable work on this album.

Miller’s arrangements explore colour and texture, making effective use of unison, dynamics and repetition. The songs vary greatly in style from the dancing Latin swing and unexpectedly dark harmonies of From the Abyss to the folksy lullaby of (Look Up, Look Down) That Lonesome Road and the shimmering chorale of How Are You Are. All share a common drive, pushing through building tension to release.

Special mention must be made of Miller’s use of the rhythm section. The piano and bass together weave almost an ostinato motif in Georgie, while in Dark Fields it is the bass that pulls the piece, striding and skipping forward. Miller’s canny use of the talent and skill of all the musicians on the recording, as well as his subtle ingenuity in the arrangements, is obvious in every tune. Find A Way is a strong debut for a very welcome new voice.

Heather McLeod is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter, who recently released a new CD of original music, Funny Thing.

More about: Joel Miller; Find A Way